|
Runner: Diane Bier
|
|
|
|
|
|
(This year, Team McGraw is proud to have Diane as a runner for both the 2008 New York City Marathon and the Philadelphia Distance Run.)
Don’t Stop Believin’
That’s what David, my husband, always says – “Don’t Stop Believin’!” I’m running for my husband David, Jimmy Fang (aka “Super Fang”), the members of Central NJ Brain Tumor Support Group, and so many, many others. They are all “normal, everyday people,” with one exception – they all have some type of brain tumor.
David, my husband, is extraordinary. He has the best sense of humor. He is the only person that I know where 3 hours go by and it seems like 3 minutes. David always said that he was “tougher than the rest” (Springsteen). He never knew how much tougher he was going to have to be. On December 8, 2002, he was 35 and diagnosed with an anaplastic astrocytoma brain tumor. He was selected for inclusion in a group that no one in their right mind would ever have volunteered to be included in. He immediately had surgery followed by radiation. A year later the tumor started to grow back and David had a year of chemotherapy. Since then, he’s been stable. Stable is good – it means the tumor’s not growing. This is amazing since his prognosis was 2-5 years. A month after I finished the 2007 NYC Marathon as a member of Team McGraw, David hit five years as a brain cancer survivor.
Jimmy Fang was an incredible man. He had a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and fought hard for 2.5 years. He was supposed to run the NYC Marathon last year, but he lost his fight and passed away December 1, 2007. You may have heard the song recorded by Tim McGraw called “Live Like You’re Dying;” Jimmy was the epitome of this song. He was a friend to all and he loved deeper and harder in his short years on earth than most people do in a lifetime. Everything he did, he did with a passion. Jimmy never ever gave up. He always thought there would be cure. Jimmy was bigger than life itself. He taught everyone who met him how to LIVE LIFE – not just survive. The world lost out when Jimmy passed away. I am privileged to have known him. Jimmy’s indelible spirit is with me every time I run.
The Central New Jersey Brain Tumor Support group has supported my family and others for several years. The members of this group are tremendous. They face this disease each and every day with a smile. They never complain and are always willing to help someone else. Quality of life is an important issue/topic. There is so much compassion in our group.
In 2000, David had the opportunity to meet Tug McGraw personally; this was a couple of years before they were both diagnosed with brain tumors. They were diagnosed only a few months apart. Meeting Tug was a highlight for my husband. That’s why running for the Tug McGraw Foundation is such an honor for me.
This will be my second marathon. I love running with a team that has the same goal I have: “RAISE BRAIN TUMOR AWARENESS.” I will continue to run every year to help others; I run for those that can’t.
When I run, I wear a light gray shirt. It’s always in my mind that “Gray Matter Matters!” I wouldn’t want anyone to go through what my family has had to go through. And when I think about it, we’ve had it easy. We still have David. David is always saying, “What fun is life if you cannot laugh?”
Tug will forever be known for saying “ya gotta believe,” so I “gotta believe” that with each and every day I put on my sneakers, and mile after mile that I run, WE CAN AND WILL FIND A CURE.
Please support me, my family, my team, and my friends in our pursuit of a cure!
Thank you…
Diane
(To read more from Diane about her running all the way to New York City, click here for Diane Bier’s Blog!)
|
|
|
Total Donations Collected:$3,690.00
|
| Goal: $3,500 |
|
|
|
|
________________________________________________________________
The Tug McGraw Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt organization designated by the Internal Revenue Code. Our tax identification number is 20-0586256. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sorry.
Fundraising has ended.
|
|
|
|
